Students in our URI Bikes Not Bombs service learning course send bikes to people in Africa who don’t have access to transportation.

See the big picture.

A complex maze of challenges faces our world today, and most of the problems—economic, environmental, social, or health-related, just to name a few—are interconnected. Although many of the scientific, financial, and technical solutions to these problems already exist, the barriers to fixing them are often political.

Studying political science opens up the whole world to you, giving you the tools you need to understand—and move—those barriers.

Yes, you can change the world. We’re counting on it.

Why Political Science at URI?

STUDY WITH TOP SCHOLARS.
Our faculty are winners of prestigious teaching awards and leading researchers in areas ranging from post-Cold War Russian relations and technology’s impact on political campaigns to the role of emotions in decision making. They’ve also made regular appearances on NPR and PBS, consulted for the World Bank, written for CBS News on election night, chaired state-wide environmental committees, and led overseas undergraduate learning programs. Just imagine what they can teach you.

PREP FOR GRAD SCHOOL.
Political science continues to be the most popular undergraduate major for students pursuing a degree in law, and we offer a customized pre-law program if law is the path you choose. There are other options too—in both academic (such as a Ph.D. in Political Science) and applied fields (such as a Masters in Public Administration). Our curriculum focuses on building advanced research skills, giving you a big advantage over students from other schools, whatever program you choose.

BEEF UP YOUR RESUME.
Political science majors have ample opportunity to learn outside the classroom. In fact, unlike most majors, experiential learning is a required part of our undergraduate curriculum. Every 300-level Political Science class includes the immediate application of the classroom knowledge to the outside world. We also offer a number of internships—and since our students are often interested in international politics, we strongly encourage them to study abroad in one of the many opportunities available at URI.